Welcome and congratulations! Now is the perfect time to begin to change your thinking. Instead of focusing on giving up things and what you don’t want, it’s time to begin focusing on what you will be gaining out of making this lifestyle change and what you do want. Be sure to read the “what newbies need to know” post for lots of good information. Reading all the responses is very helpful as well to get a sense of where people are in preparing for this journey.

Hi,

I've just left a comment for someone else, so I'm copying it for you in the he that it helps. (to add to it "SlimFast" tastes quite sugary) ... though I was told NO fizzy drinks at all :-(

I have just had a gastric by-pass (NHS, England so perhaps things might be explained / treated differently, but I think fundamentally it's all the same!)

I had to go on a diet for 2 weeks prior to surgery to reduce the liver size (as it sits in the surgeon's way, and if it's too heavy to move without damage then they don't proceed). I was given 2 options ... 1) a carefully measured / weighed diet, or 2) diet shakes for all meals. I chose the shakes option because I thought the measured diet was bound to fail when I'm away from home.
All I did was follow the "SlimFast" diet plan (but having a shake for the evening meal as well). This plan gives you a couple of snacks per day as well (either their products or fruit).
Initially I thought this is going to be tough, but infact it was very easy, and I never felt hungry. .... and I lost 16kg on this alone!!!!
I also think that it's good preparation for the two weeks after surgery on a liquid diet (shakes, soups etc.)

A nurse told me before I started the pre-op diet that this is my one chance to sort this out and if I failed I would be kicked off the programme (NHS rules!) .... if I ever needed a boost I remembered those words, and told myself "hey, it's only for two weeks, it was far worse quitting smoking for this."

Stick with it, it's well worth it xx

I am on the pre-op diet now and the first two days were the worst. I’ve Been on it for a week n half now and it has become a lot easier now. I have gotten my schedule set now on how and when I drink my shakes. At first I was struggling because the shakes gagged me but I tried different kinds and finally found one that works for me. I am also going to try the Isopure no carb unflavored protein powder as well, you can flavor it so many different ways it doesn’t always have to be a sweet flavor. That was my problem at first was the sweetness of the drinks because I don’t drink anything sweet at all, so i couldn’t get used to it. My surgery is Nov 13th and I’m getting so anxious, I’ve been working on this for a year now and God has finally blessed me with this opportunity.

Good luck

Thanks all. My surgery is going to be on December 13th and I am still struggling with the pre-op diet. Will keep working on it though. I have been trying new shakes and ways to mix them up so that should help a lot.

Counting down. I went through a lot of different shakes before I found some I liked. My doctor has people on Nectar shakes which come in multiple flavors and some count as clear liquid thank god. I can’t reme for sure but I think the ones I liked were fruity